Attorney general gives his opinion on HC verdict on FF quota in govt jobs

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam has sent his opinion to the government on the High Court verdict on quota for the descendants of freedom fighters in the civil service.

The top legal officer of the state, however, declined revealing what he has suggested after giving it to the public administration ministry on Monday.

“The government will decide whether to retain the quota or not. I have only given my opinion in light of the verdict,” he told bdnews24.com.

The government in a 2009 order extended the retirement age of freedom fighters in the civil service from 57 to 59, which was added to related law the next year.

When the retirement age of freedom fighters at government offices was extended by two more years in 2011, a retired government official challenged the decision at the High Court.

After hearing his writ petition, the High Court delivered the verdict with instructions to strictly keep 30 percent quota for freedom fighters’ descendants in government jobs.

It also ordered the government to keep the posts vacant in the absence of a suitable candidate from freedom fighter quota.

After the government sought permission to challenge the verdict at the Supreme Court, its Appellate Division upheld the High Court verdict, but dropped the observation that posts must be kept vacant for want of a suitable candidate from freedom fighter quota.

The rate of quotas in government jobs, including those for the freedom fighters’ descendants and women, is 56 percent.

In recent months, students and jobseekers have been demonstrating for reducing the quotas to 10 percent.

After violent clashes between demonstrators, and the police and pro-government students, the government formed a committee to review the quota system.

The review committee is likely to recommend lowering the quota system for government jobs ‘as much as possible’ in order to pave the way for getting more applicants securing work on merit, Cabinet Secretary Mohammed Shafiul Alam, who heads the committee, said recently.

The ‘opinion’ of the Supreme Court will be sought in order to decide about the freedom fighter quota, he said.

The remaining quotas for women, people with disabilities, small ethnic groups and certain districts would be abolished, he added.